For a century, the Penn State Nittany Lions wrestling program has been a powerhouse in collegiate wrestling. With a rich history, dedicated coaches, and talented athletes, Penn State has established itself as a force to be reckoned with. Part of the celebration of the century of Nittany Lion wrestling took place at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum in Stillwater, Okla.
Early Years and Foundational Success
The Penn State Nittany Lions wrestling program is the collegiate wrestling team at Pennsylvania State University. The team is a member of the Big Ten Conference and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The Nittany Lions compete at Bryce Jordan Center, a 15,261 capacity indoor stadium on the university's campus. One of the program's early stars was William Neidig, who wrestled on Penn State's first undefeated team in 1911 when the team went 4-0 against Lehigh, Yale, Columbia, and Cornell. Levi Lamb, another notable Penn State wrestler of this era, was a three-sport athlete at Penn State who excelled in wrestling, football, and track, Lamb only lost two bouts in his four-year Penn State career with 70% of his victories coming from pins.
After eight years of applying for membership, Penn State was granted entrance into the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) in 1918. In 1921, Penn State embarked on a difficult eight-event schedule that included dual meets with four EIWA programs and trips to face two top teams in the Midwest in Indiana and Iowa State. Penn State wrestling broke onto the world stage in 1924 when Katsutoshi Naito competed in the 1924 Summer Olympics. Naito, a Japanese born immigrant, was team captain his senior season and claimed an EIWA championship at 135 pounds.
This led the Japanese Olympic Committee to extend an invitation to Naito to compete in Freestyle wrestling in the featherweight class. Naito won his first match against Belgium's Albert Foubert before facing and losing by decision to eventual gold medalist Robin Reed of the United States. Naito recovered and went on to win the bronze medal by defeating Sweden's Hans Hansson.
The Charlie Speidel Era
After undergoing five coaching changes, the Nittany Lions found their long-term coach in Charlie "Doc" Speidel. The Panzer College graduate and skilled boxer in the Golden Gloves, was hired by the Nittany Lions in 1927 as the university's boxing and wrestling coach. Under Speidel's leadership, the team quickly gained recognition, with Howard Johnston earning Penn State's first All-American title in 1935 at 165 pounds. The inclusion of Chuck Hall on the Nittany Lion's 1940s wrestling teams broke barriers across college athletics.
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In 1953, Penn State's wrestling team enjoyed one of its most successful seasons to date, winning matches against Virginia, Lehigh, Navy, Penn, Syracuse, Cornell, Maryland, and Pitt, with the latter breaking Pitt's 16-match win streak. The team went on to win the EIWA Tournament before clinching their first NCAA wrestling championship becoming the first team from the Eastern United States to do so. The team boasted nine wrestlers, five of whom became All-Americans, with Hud Samson achieving an individual national championship. The team title was clinched when Samson pinned Weber from West Chester in the finals. Penn State won the title with 21 points, followed by Oklahoma with 15 points and Cornell with 13 points. The 1953 Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team was honored for its national championship run in 1953.
Penn State wrestling underwent a significant transition with the retirement of longtime coach Charlie Speidel in 1964. Under Speidel's 34 year leadership Penn State recorded a record of 191-56-13, winning the university's first team national championship in 1953, achieving eight EIWA team titles, producing six individual NCAA champs, 15 national finalists, and 41 All-Americans.
Transitions and Conference Changes
After competing in the EIWA for 58 years, Penn State left the conference in 1975 and competed independently for one season. In 1976, the team became a charter member of the newly formed Eastern Wrestling League (EWL), which was the brainchild of several individuals. Penn State wrestling had its worst performance in program history during the 1978-1979 season.
Considered one of Penn State wrestling's most notable seasons during its first century, the 1986-87 campaign was highlighted by several key achievements. The team secured the program's first victory over Iowa with a 27-15 final score, and also recorded a convincing regular season triumph over Oklahoma by 30-8. The Nittany Lions ended the season with a dual record of 18-1-1, clinching the EWL title and finishing in third place at the NCAA championships. Despite falling short of individual NCAA titles, the team earned a notable eight All-American honors, the most in its history up to that point. Additionally, the squad broke Penn State's record for most dual victories in a season, and shared the National Duals championship with Oklahoma State.
During the 1988 season Penn State would defeat the Iowa Hawkeyes 19-18 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on December 6. Penn State joined the Big Ten Conference on June 4, 1990, becoming the conference's 11th member. The 1990s marked a period of change and close calls for Penn State wrestling. Over the course of the decade, the team achieved a record of 149 wins, 56 losses, and 4 ties.
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Long term head coach Rich Lorenzo retired in 1992 compiling a 188-64-9 record and coached 53 All-Americans. Lorenzo was succeeded by John Fritz, who was later replaced by former wrestler Troy Sunderland. Penn State hit a slump under head coach Troy Sunderland, through the 2000s the team had only achieved two top-five finish in his 11-year tenure, and had even placed as low as 35th.
The Cael Sanderson Era: A Dynasty Emerges
In April 2009, Cael Sanderson, one of the most distinguished American wrestlers, accepted the head coaching position with Penn State wrestling. As a college wrestler, Sanderson had a perfect 159-0 record and won four NCAA titles. He then won an Olympic gold medal in Athens in 2004, before becoming a coach at his alma mater Iowa State. The Sanderson era got off to a slow start in 2009-2010 with a 9th place NCAA finish, but the team made a splash in 2010-2011 with its second NCAA title, its first under Sanderson.
The Nittany Lions were led by a combination of veterans brought in by Sunderland and young talent brought in by Sanderson. In the 2011-2012 season, the team had similar success, winning their third team title behind the individual success of Taylor, Ruth, and Frank Molinaro. Molinaro, a redshirt senior, won his first NCAA title in his fifth and final year of eligibility with the program. The David Taylor- Ed Ruth duo lifted this Penn State team to new heights during their four-year stretch in the lineup, and the added starpower of fellow national champion Frank Molinaro and future national champ Nico Megaludis and former national champ Quentin Wright further separated the Nittany Lions.
Penn State returned to win a third straight NCAA title in 2012-2013, with Ruth winning his second individual title and Wright bouncing back from a finals loss in 2012 to win a second title in his final year of eligibility. Taylor finished as a runner up to future four-time NCAA champion Kyle Dake. The Nittany Lions would go on to win their fourth straight title in 2013-2014. The Nittany Lions took a step back in 2014-2015 season following the graduation of Taylor and Ruth, posting a sixth place NCAA finish with only one individual national champion: fifth-year senior Matt Brown.
The 2015-2016 season saw a return to the program's winning ways, with the team's young talent shining on the way to another team title. Redshirt sophomore Zain Retherford won his first NCAA title, and redshirt freshmen Jason Nolf and Bo Nickal each finished as runner up at their weight classes. Penn State's young talent led to a historic 2016-2017 season. The team won its seventh NCAA title, while also tying the record for most individual titles with five. Retherford repeated as an NCAA champion and won the Hodge Trophy as the nation's top wrestler, and Nickal and Nolf each won their first NCAA titles. The event was a perfect night for the Nittany Lion, and it represented everything the team had become under Sanderson.
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With all five national champions returning in 2017-2018, it was more of the same for the Nittany Lions, and they captured their eighth national title. In his final season, Retherford became the first Penn State wrestler to win three NCAA titles and was awarded another Hodge Trophy, and Nickal, Nolf, and Joseph would each repeat their titles as well. Penn State won their ninth NCAA title in 2018-2019 behind the third and final titles from Nickal and Nolf, who found themselves in a contested race for the Hodge Trophy. Add senior Anthony Cassar’s title to the mix, and the Lions were unbeatable.
The 2019-2020 NCAA Tournament was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, preventing seniors Joseph and Hall from competing for a final title. The season was largely a down year for the Nittany Lions. Penn State's fourth-place finish in the Big Ten Tournament was its lowest since 2015, and their 60-match dual meet win streak ended with a loss to Arizona State. The Nittany Lions lost their first title since 2015 in the COVID-shortened 2020-2021 season, but demonstrated strong individual success with four first-time title winners: senior Nick Lee, junior Roman Bravo-Young, sophomore Aaron Brooks, and redshirt freshman Carter Starocci.
Penn State returned to the top of the podium in 2021-2022, winning their tenth NCAA title and once again tying the record for individual national titles with five. Each of the four 2021 winners repeated as champions, and Cornell transfer Max Dean won his first and only NCAA title at 197 pounds. The Nittany Lions narrowly lost out on the team title in 2021 to the Iowa Hawkeyes, but they reloaded in 2022 and put five on top of the podium the following season to run away with another championship.
Penn State put together a historic performance in the 2023-2024 season, putting up an NCAA Tournament record 172.5 points and defeating the second place team, Cornell, by 100 points en route to a twelfth NCAA team title. Starocci and Brooks became the sixth and seventh wrestlers in NCAA history, and the first Penn State wrestlers, to win four individual NCAA titles, Brooks was awarded the Hodge trophy for his undefeated season. Sophomore Levi Haines and redshirt senior Greg Kerkvliet also won their first individual titles. Within a program full of history, the 2024 team was special.
This Penn State team, which included four NCAA champions and four All-Americans, broke the NCAA team scoring record, previously set by the Iowa Hawkeyes back in 1997. Not only did Penn State beat the scoring record, but two of the program's seniors Carter Starocci and Aaron Brooks, also both won their fourth titles, with Brooks ultimately winning the Hodge Trophy. Starocci has since elected to return, along with his 141-pound teammate Beau Bartlett for their fifth and final year, an option afforded to them because of the COVID bonus year.
The GREATEST Wrestling Dynasty Of All Time
Home Venues and Training Facilities
Rec Hall is the traditional home of Penn State wrestling. Built in 1929, Rec Hall has been the home of Penn State wrestling since the team's inception. In recent years, Penn State has also started hosting some wrestling events at the Bryce Jordan Center, which is a larger and more modern arena that opened in 1996. The training facility for the team is the Lorenzo Wrestling Complex, located at Penn State, provides training amenities spanning over 24,000 square feet, including a practice room, weight room, locker room, and academic support area for Penn State wrestlers.
Olympic Representation
Penn State has had a total of eight Olympians, three of whom have medaled.
- Lee Talbott
- Katsutoshi Naito
- Bill Koll
- Ludwig David “Lou” Banach
- Ken Chertow
- Greg Elinsky
- Sanshiro Abe
- Sammie Henson
- Cary Kolat
- Kerry McCoy
- Cael Sanderson
- Jake Varner
- Frank Molinaro
- David Taylor
Tradition and Recognition
Penn State wrestling takes great pride in its tradition, and many of its coaches have also been competitors there, including the last three Penn State coaches, Lorenzo, John Fritz and Sunderland. Penn State had one national champion and five total All-Americans that year in winning the NCAA Championships, which was held on their home mats at Rec Hall. It was the first team from the East Coast to win a NCAA Div. I team title.
This visit to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame capped off a full year of celebration of Penn State wrestling, which was honored at Penn State competitions all season. To make it even better, Penn State had a strong performance at the 2008 NCAA Championships, with individual champion Phil Davis at 197 pounds and a third-place finish as a team. Penn State wrestling's preeminent national championship can now be honored with a one-of-a-kind bobblehead.
The officially-licensed bobbleheads are $40 each, plus an $8 flat-rate shipping charge, per order. There will only be 2,024 made, each one numbered, Sklar said. The Nittany Lion mascot will now join the likes of previous Penn State wrestling bobbleheads, including ones celebrating Sanderson, Brooks, Starocci, David Taylor, Zain Retherford and Bo Nickal.
Statistical Highlights
Here's a table summarizing some of Penn State wrestling's key achievements:
| Achievement | Details |
|---|---|
| NCAA Team Titles | 12 |
| NCAA Record Points | 172.5 (2024) |
| Undefeated Seasons | Multiple, including 1911, 1967, 1970, 1971, 1972, and 1974 |
| Four-Time NCAA Champions | Carter Starocci & Aaron Brooks (2024) |
| Hodge Trophy Winners | Kerry McCoy (1997), David Taylor (2012, 2014), Zain Retherford (2017, 2018), Bo Nickal (2019), Aaron Brooks (2024) |